Lead Us Up the Mountain: Penrhys Way

Penrhys, a village at the top of a hill in the Rhondda, seems an unlikely pilgrimage spot. Welsh folklore tells of a holy well, named Ffynon Fair, or Mary’s Well, which encouraged pilgrims to flock to Penrhys seeking r elief from their ailments.

Poet Rhisiart ap Rhys wrote:

There are rippling waters at the top of the rock Farewell to every ailment that desires them! White wine runs in the rill, That can kill pain and fatigue!

Legend says a statue of Mary, too intricate and beautiful to have been created by humans, appeared inside a tree. It would only allow itself to be retrieved once a chapel and shrine were built on the site.

Our Lady of Penrhys was one of three named statues (the others being Walsingham and Ipswich) burned in London by order of Henry VIII in 1538.

In 1953 the statue was replaced and once again, Our Lady of Penrhys stands in the open air, drawing pilgrims up the mountain.

Sarah Poole, from Aberdare, is a regular pilgrim to the site. She said, “Going to Penrhys as a family is something that I can remember doing since I was a little girl. When you’re stood on the mountain, sometimes in the wet, wind and cold, surrounded by the beautiful scenery and fellow pilgrims you feel a sense of Mary’s presence among you. It’s special and humbling.”

Rev Lyndon Hutchison-Hounsell, vicar in De Morgannwg Ministry Area, moved from Canada in 2022 and has since led pilgrimages to Penrhys. He said, “There are aspects of pilgrimage that help one to reflect on life and connect with the sacred. Peaks offer a sense of broad vision that we sometimes need in our lives, and valleys can help us to immerse ourselves, in the times when we are feeling low or closed in. The pilgrimage to Penrhys offers peaks and valleys and, for me, an opportunity to learn something about the geography and history of my new home. It’s opportunity to spend time with members of the churches I serve and connect with the faithful who have walked this way for thousands of years through prayer, reflection, and simply walking in my new home.”